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High Notes, Vol 27 No 18, June 19 2026

From the Principal

High Talent

Well done to our first Senior TheatreSports team to make it to the semi-finals in the state-wide TSC comp that we hosted last Friday 12 June 2026:

Mac Giles, Ahyen Haque, James Carmichael, Theodore Hui.

The team played alongside the Senior team from SGHS strengthening the collaborative nature of the performing arts between both schools.

Thank you to Ms Anna Barry for arranging such a wonderful opportunity for the boys to work alongside SGHS.

Joint P+C meeting - Digital Nutrition Webinar

Thank you to the P&C for organising this valuable parent session on digital wellbeing during the joint P+C meeting on Wednesday June 10, 2026.

The Digital Nutrition webinar, by Jocelyn Brewer, emphasised that the key issue is no longer screen time, but how and why students use technology. Families are encouraged to build intentional habits rather than rely on restriction.

The session focused on three priorities:

• Calm – support sleep, reduce over-stimulation, and build emotional regulation.
• Connected – prioritise real relationships and time together over online interaction.
• Capable – encourage independent thinking, effort and resilience, particularly in the age of AI.

Parents were encouraged to shift from control to conversation, involve students in setting expectations, and model strong technology habits.

Interpreting Year 11 Reports – Semester One

All Year 11 students will have received their reports by Friday 19 June 2026.

The first semester report is based on limited evidence. In some courses, this may reflect one or two skill areas, a small number of topics, or a single task. If a student has missed the only task, an estimate will appear.

Teacher marks are entered and processed through an ATAR predictor. Raw marks are scaled per unit.

Scaled marks are calculated per unit out of 50, with the best 12 units counting. Accuracy improves in Year 12 when only the best 10 units are counted.

Students studying external courses are assigned an average per unit across their remaining subjects.

Scaling compares a student’s performance in each course against all other students in that course and against their results across subjects.

The model aligns current data with the last three year’s HSC results at the school. It assumes that, as a cohort, performance will be broadly similar to the previous three-year period. As a result, internal ranking patterns tend to reflect eventual HSC outcomes.

Estimates can shift if students miss tasks across multiple subjects. Individual courses may perform differently from year to year; however, the ATAR predictor is generally accurate within approximately one point.

We use all 12 Preliminary units to calculate an indicative ATAR.

This provides a clearer picture of current progress and allows students to see their relative strength across subjects. It also supports informed decisions about course selection for Year 12. Students only count 10 units for the HSC. Movement from Stage 5 to Stage 6 often brings changes in rank. Courses become more demanding, and the workload increases. Extension courses are especially challenging.

Fluctuations in rank are normal. The purpose of this report is to identify strengths, highlight areas for development, and support informed decision-making.

Parents are encouraged to discuss both the learning behaviours and recommended next steps with their son. This will support stronger outcomes in Stage 6.
George Barris
Relieving Principal